About the Nakamura Yaichi Shoten Store
The Nakamura Yaichi Shoten Store (中村弥市商店店舗, Nakamura Yaichi Shōten Tenpo) is a 2-story wooden shop building of 1922 on Honcho-dori in Honcho 1-chome, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2005.
It stands on the east side of the street, facing west, and forms the public front of the Nakamura family estate. A rental-property ledger kept by the family dates it to February 25, 1922. The frontage is 3.5 ken (about 7.4 m) and the depth 5 ken (about 10.2 m), for a building area of 88 square meters.
It is still a working shop. In 1958 the second Nakamura Yaichi opened a paint store here called Nakamura Yaichi Shoten, and the registered name of the building comes from that business.
Why the Nakamura Yaichi Shoten Store was registered
The Nakamura Yaichi Shoten Store was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that it keeps its original shopfront and values it as a record of the years when Kiryu's textile industry was booming.
In 1922 the family's raw-silk business was growing under the first Nakamura Yaichi, who was also building houses to rent across town. The store on the main street was the centerpiece of that building activity.
Kiryu City points to the tall upper floor. In Edo-period townhouses the second story was usually kept low, little more than a storage loft. Raising it to full height so it could hold proper tatami rooms became common from the Meiji era onward, and the store was built in that newer form.
What to look for at the Nakamura Yaichi Shoten Store
Start with the roof. The ridge runs east to west, at right angles to the street, and the end facing the street is hipped in the Yosemune-zukuri manner. The roof is laid with Sangawara-buki tiles, and a half-ken (about 90 cm) Geya lean-to projects on every side but the east, forming the ground-floor eaves.
The upper eaves are built in Degeta-zukuri fashion, with the eave beam pushed forward to carry a deep overhang. The walls are finished in gray Shikkui plaster. Lattice doors fill the upper front, and behind them are two tatami rooms of 10 and 6 mats. The building is about 8.5 m tall overall, and from the street the second floor of the Nakamura Yaichi Shoten Store looks noticeably high.
On the north side, facing the alley, the wall is Ōkabe construction, with the posts plastered over, again in gray. The same color as the shopfront carries on down the alley.
Inside, behind the front counter area, are two living rooms of 8 and 6 mats that the family calls the chanoma, followed by a 4-mat tatami room. An inner corridor about 90 cm wide runs along the east side. According to Kiryu City, the only changes since construction are modern sash doors at the front entrance and the conversion of the counter area to a Doma earthen floor.
Visiting the Nakamura Yaichi Shoten Store
The Nakamura Yaichi Shoten Store is still in business, but its interior is not open as a cultural property. You can see the outside from Honcho-dori. For the gray plaster front, the projecting eaves and the upper lattice in a single view, stand on the opposite side of the street.
Next to it on the south is the estate gate, whose side walls share the same gray plaster, so the shop and gate read as one frontage. Please stay on the street and do not go through the gate or down the north alley. The layout of the whole estate and directions are on the Nakamura Yaichi Shoten and Nakamura Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Gunma
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Nakamura Yaichi Shoten Store
- [ Kusatsu Onsen & Tomioka Silk Mill Heritage Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Nakamura Yaichi Shoten Store built?
- In 1922. The family's rental-property ledger gives the date as February 25. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on November 10, 2005.
- What are the roof and walls of the Nakamura Yaichi Shoten Store like?
- The tiled roof has an east-west ridge and a hipped end facing the street. The upper eaves are degeta-zukuri, and the walls are gray plaster.
- What is on the second floor of the Nakamura Yaichi Shoten Store?
- Lattice doors across the front and two tatami rooms of 10 and 6 mats behind them. The tall upper floor is typical of the modern townhouse form.
- Is the Nakamura Yaichi Shoten Store still a shop?
- Yes. It houses Nakamura Yaichi Shoten, a paint store opened in 1958.
- Can I visit the Nakamura Yaichi Shoten Store?
- The interior is not open to the public, but you can see the outside from Honcho-dori.
Basic Information
| Name | Nakamura Yaichi Shoten Store (中村弥市商店店舗) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-6-33 Honcho, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2005-11-10 (Heisei 17) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 88 square meters (frontage about 7.4 m, depth about 10.2 m) |
| Owner | Unknown (not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Interior closed (in use as a shop; exterior visible from Honcho-dori) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Nakamura Yaichi Shoten Store
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004933
- Cultural Heritage Online: Nakamura Yaichi Shoten Store
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/184843
- Kiryu City: Nakamura Family Residence (Nakamura Yaichi Shoten Store) and six other buildings
- https://www.city.kiryu.lg.jp/kankou/bunkazai/1010700/kunitouroku/1002002.html
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Nakamura Family Residence Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004939
Last verified: 2026.10.06
